Dallas Cowboys: Week 6 NFC roundup that affects America’s Team

I don’t know about you but I think my heart is still racing from watching the Dallas Cowboys get a victory in Foxborough, Massachusetts this past Sunday. Dallas usually found a way to lose those games in the past but this team has a very different feel to them.

The Cowboys having a three-game lead in the NFC East after six weeks is something I didn’t think would happen this early. Washington lost to Kansas City and even though there were concerns for the Chiefs early on, the final score shows Washington has problems putting points on the board.

Philadelphia lost to Tampa on Thursday night dropping them to 2-4 on the year. I was initially worried about Philly this year but their head coach might be the problem already. Philly is more talented than we give them credit for.

The Dallas Cowboys are looking very good as a top NFC contender so far this season

The New York Giants lost again to the Los Angeles Rams but the manner in which they got beat should never happen. As a Cowboys fan I say carry on but as an NFL fan, the time has come for New York to tear it all down and rebuild with new voices.

Speaking of the Rams, they are tied with Dallas with a 5-1 record including a victory over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. The Detroit Lions travel to L.A. this weekend which makes me feel the Cowboys will not gain any ground on them during their bye week.

The Rams reside in the NFC West which also houses the NFL’s only undefeated team. If the Cowboys want the number one seed, the Cardinals have to be a team to watch. The Cardinals without their head coach smashing the Cleveland Browns is a very impressive feat.

The two last teams in that division are the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco Forty-Niners. As talented as we thought they would be, they feel like an afterthought. Seattle losing Russell Wilson and San Fran dealing with a quarterback controversy pushes these two teams into the wild card race in my mind.

The NFC North has Green Bay leading the race but their lead is smaller than what Dallas currently has. Regardless, the Packers are the class of that division and have an identical record to the Cowboys.

Chicago made a game of it but Aaron Rodgers reminded everyone that he still “owns” the Bears. Minnesota is an extremely talented team but it might take a coaching change to unlock that rosters full potential. The Detroit Lions are clearly rebuilding but they do fight hard for their new fiery head coach and former Cowboys tight end Dan Cambell.

The NFC South is led by Tampa Bay but keep an eye out for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were on a bye week but getting two weeks to prepare for the Seahawks on Monday night feels like Seattle falls out of the race and vaults Seattle back into division contention.

The Saints have a 3-2 record and could be 4-2 if they take care of Seattle. Tampa hosts the Chicago Bears who have the defense to win the game but a better game plan for Justin Fields is desperately needed. Fields has taken some serious hits and if he is not protected, the Bears could be the second team to fire their head coach during the season.

Atlanta is surprisingly still in the race as they are now 2-3 and can get to .500 by beating a bad Miami Dolphins team. The process in Miami just might come to a screeching halt if Miami falls to Atlanta. If Miami falls to 1-6, look out for some sale pieces if you are the Cowboys.

That leaves the Panthers who have taken a nosedive since falling to the Cowboys. If Carolina wants to get back into the playoff race, it will start with getting a victory at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.

So Arizona is undefeated but is being chased by four other 5-1 teams in the conference. The pressure has to be on Arizona who has not been in this position since 1974. This team has to show they are mentally strong enough to be playing keep-away as opposed to catch-up.

Washington travels to Lambeau field so Green Bay should get to 6-1 during the Cowboys bye week. Arizona hosts the Texans who might be in fire sale mode already. Detroit travels to play the Rams and the Bears travel to Tampa.

I hate to get ahead of myself but the Cowboys might not get much help during their bye week. In fact, the team will likely extend their division lead but fall in the chase for the number one seed.

Social media was in an uproar when it was advised that rooting for division rivals would help Dallas get the number one seed. I think the time has come for Dallas fans to not root for division opponents but rather hope their opponents don’t perform as well.

The number one seed in the conference is the only team that gets a playoff bye week. Dallas entering the playoffs as the one seed essentially puts them in a place where one playoff win gets them to the NFC Championship game. Think about that next time a current division leader plays an NFC East team not named the Cowboys.